Interview: “I Felt So Happy And Overwhelmed”

Mr Wirba, please, tell us, how long have you been doing furniture? 
I was born in 1978 and started learning furniture in the Rural Artisan Training Centre, SAR SM, Jakiri in Bui Division of the North West Region. I completed from SAR SM in 1993, and I left for Bamenda where I did apprenticeship from 1993 to 1995. I settled in Yaounde in 1998 and started practising on my own. I started working at Carrefour-Emia before moving to Olembe where I am based now.

There is this special chair you produced for Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Cameroon from April 15-18, 2026... How were you selected for this important job? 
I have been doing some work for the National Episcopal Centre in Mvolyé, Yaounde. Monsignor Paul Nyaga, the Secretary General of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, NECC, office in Mvolye, Yaounde sent for me... He contacted me since I had done some work for them. 

When did he contact you?     
That was two weeks before Pope Leo XIV arrived in Cameroon on April 15, 2026. 

And what was his order? That you should do what? 
He wanted me to produce a chair for the Pope. 

He gave the description, the design…? 
He gave me his designs, specifications and the dimensions. We agreed on everything, and I went ahead and produced the special chair. 

Was it the same chair the Pope used in Yaounde, Bamenda and Douala?
I don't really know. I know that it is the one he used in Yaoundé. The one in Bamenda, I guess they produced it there. 

Did Pope Leo XIV use the chair in Yaoundé during the Mass at the Air Force Base? 
I can’t really tell. 

How long did it take you to produce the chair? 
I took me about 10 days. 

And so when you finished the job, what did Monsignor Paul Nyaga say? 
He was very, very happy with the job well done. He told me he was really happy... he knew I could do it, and was very happy. 

And you saw the Pope on television sitting on your chair - the chair you produced?
Yes. 

And how did you feel seeing the Pope sitting on the chair you produced? 
I felt so happy and overwhelmed. 
    
Did you tell people, "Look at the chair, look at the chair; the Pope is sitting on the chair I produced"?  
Yeah, I did when I started seeing footage of Pope Leo XIV on social media sitting on the chair. Then I began sharing pictures of the chair when I was producing it and when the Pope was already sitting on it. 

And how did people react? 
Everybody said it was a blessing and privilege for me to produce a chair for the Pope. 

Did you go to the Mass in Yaounde? Are you a Catholic?
Yes, I'm a Catholic. A member of the Catholic Men’s Fellowship, CMA, at Carrefour EMIA, Yaounde. 

Did you attend the Pontifical Mass at the Air Force Base in Yaounde on April 18, 2026? 
Unfortunately, I did not go. I was unable to go. 

What else do you have to say about your career and the Pope's visit to Cameroon? 
We should encourage our children to do technical education, and most especia...